校舎 and 校庭: School building and schoolyard
Read the school building through corridors that still smell of wood and graduates coming to tour it, and the schoolyard through lunchtime play and puddles after rain.
Naming the building and the yard
校舎 (こうしゃ) means the school building, and 校庭 (こうてい) the schoolyard. The corridor and the building to be toured belong with 校舎; the yard where children play and puddles form belongs with 校庭. Neither name should be treated as another name for the entire school grounds.
「古い校舎の廊下には木の香りが残っている。」 means “The corridors of the old school building still smell of wood.” 校舎の廊下 identifies where the smell remains. The described state belongs to the corridors, rather than an added claim about every part of the building.
Graduates coming to tour and children playing
「卒業生が新しい校舎を見学しに来た。」 means “Graduates came to tour the new school building.” 来た gives the action of coming, and 見学しに its purpose. Coming for a tour does not establish that the tour or class attendance was completed.
「昼休みに子どもたちが校庭で遊んでいる。」 means “The children are playing in the schoolyard during lunch.” 校庭 is the place, and 遊んでいる describes play in progress. The people, target, and activity differ from the graduates coming to tour the building.
The schoolyard after rain
「雨の後、校庭には大きな水たまりができた。」 means “Large puddles formed in the schoolyard after the rain.” 校庭 names where the puddles formed. This does not establish flooding of the whole yard or a prohibition on using it.
校舎 names the school building containing the corridors and serving as the tour’s target. 校庭 names the schoolyard used for play and described after rain. Distinguish the named objects first, then follow the remaining smell, visit purpose, ongoing play, and formation of puddles in their respective sentences.
Which name belongs with corridors and a tour target, and which with play and puddles?
Show the answer and why
校舎, the school building, belongs with the corridors and tour target. 校庭, the schoolyard, belongs with play and puddles. Neither names the entire school grounds here. Coming for a tour is separate from completing it, just as puddles are separate from total flooding.